The present invention generally relates to internal combustion engines. More particularly, the present invention relates to an on-demand electrolytically generated oxy-hydrogen fuel system which is incorporated into the fuel supply system of a standard internal combustion engine.
The basic operation of conventional piston-based internal combustion engines (ICE) varies based on the functional type of combustion process, the number of cylinders and the desired use. For instance, in a traditional two-cycle engine, oil is pre-mixed with fuel and air before the oil-fuel-air mixture is injected into the cylinder, where the oil/fuel/air mixture is ignited. In a typical four-cycle gasoline engine, atomized fuel is pre-mixed with air, compressed by the movement of the piston against the cylinder head, and ignited by a spark plug that causes the fuel to burn. In a diesel engine, fuel and air are pre-mixed, atomized, and injected into the cylinder. However, in a diesel engine there is no spark plug to provide ignition. Instead, the fuel/air mixture is ignited by the combination of heat accumulated by the mass of the cylinder head and compression by the piston. In each type of ICE engine, the piston is pushed downward against the crankshaft by the pressure exerted by the expansion of detonated fuel and air. Exhaust fumes are allowed to exit the cylinder when the rotation of the crankshaft and camshaft opens the exhaust valve. The movement of the piston on the subsequent oscillation creates a vacuum in the cylinder which draws additional fresh oil/fuel/air into the cylinder, thereby simultaneously pushing the remaining exhaust out the exhaust port and driving by-pass gases out of the crankcase through the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve. Momentum drives the piston back into the compression stroke as the process repeats itself.
In a diesel or gasoline powered engine, as opposed to a two-stroke engine, oil lubrication of the crankshaft and connecting rod bearings is supported by an oil distribution system that is separated from the fuel/air mixture. In a diesel or gasoline powered engine, the fuel/air mixture in the intake manifold is drawn into the combustion chamber where it is ignited by either spark plugs (in a gasoline engine) or compression. The combustion chamber in both gasoline and diesel engines is largely isolated from the crankcase by a set of piston rings that are disposed around an outer diameter of each piston within each piston cylinder. The seals are included in the design of the engine as a way of containing the pressure exerted by each ignition event and forcing the exhaust gases to exit via the exhaust port rather than allowing the hot, pressurized gases to escape into the crankcase.
Unfortunately, the piston rings are unable to completely isolate and contain the pressurized exhaust gases. Consequently, small amounts of crankcase oil intended to lubricate the cylinder are instead drawn into the combustion chamber and burned during the combustion process. This is true in both gasoline and diesel powered engines. Additionally, combustion waste gases comprising unburned fuel and exhaust gases in the combustion chamber simultaneously pass the piston rings and enter the crankcase. The waste gases entering the crankcase are commonly referred to as “blow-by” or “blow-by gas”. Blow-by gases mainly consist of contaminants such as hydrocarbons (unburned fuel), carbon dioxide and/or water vapor, all of which serve to contaminate the oil held in the engine crankcase. The quantity of blow-by gases which leak into the crankcase can be several times that of the concentration of hydrocarbons in the intake manifold. Simply venting these gases to the atmosphere increases air pollution.
Alternatively, trapping the blow-by gases in the crankcase allows the contaminants to condense and accumulate over time in the engine crankcase. Condensed contaminants form corrosive acids and sludge in the interior of the components. This decreases the ability of the engine oil in the crankcase to lubricate the cylinder and crankshaft. Degraded oil that fails to properly lubricate the crankshaft components (e.g. the crankshaft and connecting rods) can contribute to accelerated wear and tear in the engine, resulting in degraded engine performance. Inadequate crankcase lubrication contributes to degradation of the piston rings, which reduces the effectiveness of the seal between the combustion chamber and the crankcase.
As the engine ages, the gaps between the piston rings and cylinder walls increase, resulting in larger quantities of blow-by gases entering the crankcase. Excessive blow-by gases in the crankcase results in power loss and eventual engine failure. Condensed water vapor carried by the blow-by gases can condense inside the engine, causing engine parts to rust. In 1970, the United States Environmental Protection Agency mandated the introduction of crankcase ventilation systems to mitigate volume of blow-by gases allowed to build up in the crankcase. In general, crankcase ventilation systems evacuate blow-by gases from the crankcase via a device referred to as a positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve. In modern engines, blow-by gases are scavenged from the crankcase and re-routed back into the intake manifold to be re-burned.
The PCV valve re-circulates (i.e. vents) blow-by gases from the crankcase back into the intake manifold to be burned again with a fresh supply of air/fuel during subsequent combustion cycles. This is particularly desirable as the harmful blow-by gases are not simply vented to the atmosphere.
As part of an effort to combat smog in the Los Angeles basin, the State of California started requiring emission control systems on all model cars starting in the 1960s. The Federal Government extended these emission control regulations nationwide in 1968. Congress passed the Clear Air Act in 1970 and established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since then, vehicle manufacturers have had to meet a series of graduated emission control standards for the production and maintenance of vehicles. This involved implementing devices to control engine functions and diagnose engine problems. More specifically, automobile manufacturers started integrating electrically controlled components, such as electric fuel feeds and ignition systems. Sensors were also added to measure engine efficiency, system performance and pollution. These sensors were capable of being accessed for early diagnostic assistance.
On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) refers to early vehicle self-diagnostic systems and reporting capabilities developed and installed in automobiles by manufacturers. OBD systems provide current state information for various vehicle subsystems. The quantity of diagnostic information available via OBD has varied widely since the introduction of on-board computers to automobiles in the early 1980s. OBD originally illuminated a malfunction indicator light (MIL) for a detected problem, but did not provide information regarding the nature of the problem. Modern OBD implementations use a standardized high-speed digital communications port to provide real-time data in combination with standardized series of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) to facilitate rapid identification of malfunctions and the corresponding remedies from within the vehicle.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB or simply ARB) developed regulations to enforce the application of the first incarnation of OBD (known now as “OBD-I”). The aim of CARB was to encourage automobile manufacturers to design reliable emission control systems. CARB envisioned lowering vehicle emissions in California by denying registration to vehicles that did not pass the CARB vehicle emission standards. Unfortunately, OBD-I did not succeed at the time because the infrastructure for testing and reporting emissions-specific diagnostic information was not standardized or widely accepted. Technical difficulties in obtaining standardized and reliable emission information from all vehicles resulted in a systemic inability to effectively implement an annual emissions testing program.
OBD became more sophisticated after the initial implementation of OBD-I. OBD-II was a new standard introduced in the mid-1990s that implemented a new set of standards and practices developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). These standards were eventually adopted by the EPA and CARB. OBD-II incorporates enhanced features that provide better engine monitoring technologies. OBD-II also monitors chassis parts, body and accessory devices, and includes an automobile diagnostic control network. OBD-II improved upon OBD-I in both capability and standardization. OBD-II specifies the type of diagnostic connector, pin configuration, electrical signaling protocols, messaging format and provides an extensible list of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs). OBD-II also monitors a specific list of vehicle parameters and encodes performance data for each of those parameters. Thus, a single device can query the on-board computer(s) in any vehicle. This simplification of reporting diagnostic data led to the feasibility of the comprehensive emissions testing program envisioned by CARB.
The use of electrolytically-generated oxy-hydrogen gas has been known to supplement fuel combustion since the mid-18th Century. In 1766, Sir Henry Cavendish, a British scientist noted for his discovery of oxy-hydrogen or what he called “inflammable air”, described the density of inflammable air, which formed water on combustion, in a 1766 paper entitled “On Factitious Airs”. Antoine Lavoisier later reproduced Cavendish's experiment and gave the element its name (oxy-hydrogen). In 1918, Mr. Charles H. Frazer patented the first “Hydrogen Booster” system for internal combustion engines under U.S. Pat. No. 1,262,034. In his patent, Frazer stated that his invention “1—increases the efficiency of internal combustion engines. 2—Complete combustion of hydrocarbons. 3—Engine will stay cleaner. 4—Lower grade of fuel can be used with equal performance.” In 1935, inventor Henry Garrett patented a electrolytic carburetor that enabled his automobile to run on tap water. Between 1943-1945, in response to the shortage of conventional fuel, the British army used oxy-hydrogen gas generators in their tanks, boats and other vehicles to get better mileage and to prevent engine overheating for vehicles used in Africa. They used generators which were very similar to many oxy-hydrogen generators. At the end of WWII, the British government ordered the removal and destruction of all such generators. In 1974, inventor Yull Brown (originally a Bulgarian Student named Ilya Velbov 1922-1998) from Australia filed a patent on his design of the ‘Brown's Gas Electrolyzer’. In 1977, scientists and engineers at the NASA Lewis Research Center conducted a series of tests using a large block American-made V8 piston engine, fully instrumented and mounted on a dynamometer. Their research was focused on determining the effects exerted by introducing oxy-hydrogen gas to the combustion cycle of a typical ICE. The results of their studies were published in NASA TN D-8478 C.1, dated May 1977, in a white paper entitled “EMISSIONS AND TOTAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION OF A MULTICYLINDER PISTON ENGINE RUNNING ON GASOLINE AND A HYDROGEN-GASOLINE MIXTURE”.
In 1983, Dr. Andrij Puharich obtained U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,230 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Splitting Water Molecules”. His apparatus was independently tested by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and found to operate at an energy efficiency rate in excess of eighty percent. In 1990, Mr. Juan Carlos Aquero was issued Letters Patent for an energy transforming system for internal combustion engines which uses Oxygen-oxy-hydrogen & steam, under European patent 0 405 919 A1. In 1990, Mr. Stanley A. Meyer was issued Letters Patent for a method for the production of a Oxygen-Hydrogen Fuel Gas Using a Dielectric Resonant Circuit, under U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,961—Jun. 26, 1990. In January 2006, TIAX published a white paper entitled “Application of Hydrogen-Assisted Lean Operation of Natural Gas-Fueld Reciprocating Engines” (HALO), a final scientific & technical report prepared under contract DE-FC26-04NT42235 with the US Department of Energy. The Abstract cites the following results—“Two key challenges facing Natural Gas Engines used for cogeneration purposes are spark plug life and high NOx emissions. Using Hydrogen Assisted Lean Operation (HALO), these two keys issues are simultaneously addressed. HALO operation, as demonstrated in this project, allows stable engine operation to be achieved at ultra-lean (relative air/fuel ratios of 2) conditions, which virtually eliminates NOx production. NOx values of 10 ppm (0.07 g/bhp-hr NO) for 8% (LHV H2/LHV CH4) supplementation at an exhaust 02 level of 10% were demonstrated, which is a 98% NOx emissions reduction compared to the leanest unsupplemented operating condition. Spark ignition energy reduction (which will increase ignition system life) was carried out at an oxygen level of 9%, leading to a NOx emission level of 28 ppm (0.13 g/bhp-hr NO). The spark ignition energy reduction testing found that spark energy could be reduced 22% (from 151 mJ supplied to the coil) with 13% (LHV H2/LHV CH4) oxy-hydrogen supplementation, and even further reduced 27% with 17% oxy-hydrogen supplementation, with no reportable effect on NOx emissions for these conditions and with stable engine torque output. Another important result is that the combustion duration was shown to be only a function of oxy-hydrogen supplementation, not a function of ignition energy (until the ignitability limit was reached). The next logical step leading from these promising results is to see how much the spark energy reduction translates into increase in spark plug life, which may be accomplished by durability testing.” In 2006, Mr. Dennis J. Klein and Dr. Rugerro M. Santilli (USA) were awarded U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0075683 A1 for “Apparatus and method for the conversion of water into a new gaseous and combustible form and the combustible gas formed thereby.” In 2007, under contract number NAS7-100, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Pasadena, Calif., issued a white paper entitled “Feasibility Demonstration of a Road Vehicle Fueled with Hydrogen-enriched Gasoline”. Their research demonstrated that the addition of stoichiometric mixtures of oxy-hydrogen gas to gasoline combusted in a conventional ICE “ . . . reduced NOx emissions and improved thermal efficiency.”
However, these systems have several existing problems. One of the approaches involves generating oxy-hydrogen on a continual basis and storing the oxy-hydrogen for extraction when needed. However, electrically charging the generator plates requires too much of a standard alternator, thus a higher performance alternator is required. Also, consumers have been afraid of existing oxy-hydrogen systems due to the fact these systems constantly produce oxy-hydrogen and store it. This potentially could create explosion concerns due to the stored oxy-hydrogen sitting in the automobile
Several problems inhibit the effectiveness of adding oxy-hydrogen gas to supplement fuel combustion in conventional ICE's. None of the patented or commercially available oxy-hydrogen generators are computer controlled in a way that is compatible with OBD-II and OBD-III ECM systems. Further, existing oxy-hydrogen generators designed for use in automobiles generate substantial quantities of water vapor, which is intrinsically inimical to the ferrous components which comprise modern engines.
Accordingly, the current invention recognizes the need for an oxy-hydrogen gas generator system which supplies computer-controlled stoichiometric volumes of gas on-demand, does not require generation and storage of oxy-hydrogen gas for later use, is compatible with the operating parameters intrinsic to electronically controlled engine management modules, and does not generate a significant quantity of water vapor. The present invention fulfills these needs, and provides other related advantages.